Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age

War may have ended in Germany but an aspect of lawlessness had descended on society after the fall of the Third Reich. Black markets held sway and there was a proliferation of drugs in areas such as fractionalized Berlin. To combat drug use, American agents would begin working with former nazis in an early incarnation of the War on Drugs. Despite the prohibitive actions of law enforcement groups such as the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, intelligence groups like the nascent CIA would enable the spread of drugs like LSD in an effort to control the mind in the high-stakes battle of the Cold War. As events between East and West threatened to reach a flashpoint, the psychedelics spurred on a cultural revolution in the US and elsewhere.

Tripped cleverly dives into the chaotic battleground of the Cold War with both feet and doesn’t emerge until many secrets have been laid bare. Author Norman Ohler (“Blitzed”) studies the cultivation of psychedelics by Big Pharma and how it was manipulated by the CIA while pondering the possibilities for the infirm. Ohler has written a book that is both well-researched and thoughtful.